Masters of Reality
Masters of Reality are an American rock band formed in 1981 in Syracuse, New York by frontman Chris Goss and guitarist Tim Harrington. Notably the band's sound, along with their lineups, are ever-changing. After the first lineup the band's sound has ranged from hard rock to blues to progressive rock and even sixties-era pop. To date the band has released six studio albums and has managed to tour the world with various alternating lineups, Goss essentially the bandleader. In regards to the alternating lineups Goss has stated that Masters of Reality will always be a project with alternating lineups, stating "I can't afford paying people to tell they're in the band."/ Metal Insider Notably the band has close ties to the Palm Desert scene with Goss being a producer and key player in that circle, working with Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age (Along with Josh Homme and Nick Oliveri joining Masters of Reality for a period of time.) among others. While the band's name is taken from the Black Sabbath album of the same name the band's early influences were heavily derived from Sabbath and early King Crimson among a host of other classic rock acts. History Early Years and Masters of Reality (1981 - 1990) Prior to Masters of Reality's formation Chris Goss started out with a band covering heavy 1970s rock acts (New York Dolls, Aerosmith, David Bowie, Blue Öyster Cult, Alice Cooper, Led Zeppelin) and writing his own songs since circa 1975. After getting into punk rock for a while (including performing at CBGB's in 1978), he didn't play guitar for a few years, instead preferring electronic music like Kraftwerk and becoming a club DJ.Masters of Reality Official In 1981 Goss and Tim Harrington started to make experimental home recordings with lo-fi, cheap and/or borrowed equipment that included a Sanyo boombox Rhythm Ace drum machine, a Korg, synthesizers and a Fender Vibroverb amp. The rhythm tracks of synths and a beat recorded on cassette would be played back to "overdub" vocals, guitar, more synthesizers, et cetera. They considered Manson Family as a name for their act, but never actually used it for their performances./ Masters of Reality German Fanpage They played regularly at CBGB's with a sound reminiscent of SuicideDelicious Vinyl or somewhat like how Nine Inch Nails or Marilyn Manson would sound in the 1990s.Masters of Reality Official Early original songs included "Building the Kingdom," "Voodoo Doll," "Metal Entity," "Cash," "Anchor," "Stones in Every Field" and "Doraldina's Prophecies." By the late 1980s Masters of Reality would grow into a quartet with the addition of Googe on bass and Vinnie Ludovico on drums, developing a sound with less electronics and more of a rock sound drawing from blues and seventies metal such as Black Sabbath, Cream, Led Zeppelin and King Crimson. A demo tape would reach producer Rick Rubin, who would see the band live in late 1986 and sign the band to Def Jam. According to Goss it was Rubin who would bring out more of that blues rock side.Masters of Reality Official During the recording for the band's debut album Rubin would quit Def Jam and take the band with him to his new label, Def American. Also known as The Blue Garden, the eponymous Masters of Reality saw release on 24 January 1989 to critical acclaim at the time. Goss got frustrated with the band while touring the debut album. He quit the tour after Matt Dike invited him to come to Los Angeles and to get signed to his Delicious Vinyl label. They bought the rights from Rubin and released a newly sequenced version of the album with Doraldina's Prophecies as an extra track. Notably the band also played a show with Megadeth and Motorhead as part of BAM Magazine's anniversary.Last.fm The band even made an appearance in 1990 Steven Seagal movie Marked For Death as Seagal was a fan of the band and personally requested them, which also led to the band interacting with Jimmy Cliff.Impose Magazine Sunrise on The Sufferbus (1992 - 1997) In 1992 Masters of Reality would resurface with Goss and Googe alongside drummer Ginger Baker of Cream notoriety. Though initially Baker expressed dread thinking it was going to be a "loud and awful" heavy metal band, Baker warmed up to working with the band once he got to jamming with them.YouTube Recording in various studios in California, Masters of Reality would sign to Chrysalis Records and release their second album Sunrise on The Sufferbus on 9 February 1993. Despite their sound being altered to a degree the album was also critically acclaimed, even spawning a top ten hit in "She Got Me (When She Got Her Dress On)". Notably another song on the record was "T.U.S.A.", a rap by Baker describing the inability of Americans to make a proper cup of tea to which some American radio shows allegedly used this when a British guest would be involved. Despite this new lineup Baker would not stay with the band and leave shortly after with Victor Indrizzo (Circus of Power, Samiam) taking over on drums. Masters Of Reality recorded the song "Climb Inside My World" for a 1994 Ren & Stimpy episode entitled "Jerry the Bellybutton Elf." The song was written by Steve Mellor who also wrote the episode in which it appeared. The lineup of Goss, Googe and Indrizzo would then record a full-length in 1994, later titled as The Ballad of Jody Frosty, intended for release in 1995 via Epic Records. However the album would be outright rejected by the label and ultimately shelved, with live and studio versions of the songs surfacing on later albums (And ultimately the entire album leaking on the internet in 2004). In an excerpt from the Masters of Reality archives, Goss would speak about The Ballad of Jody Frosty: Masters of Reality were quiet for several years as Goss was occupied producing music for other bands in California, working extensively with bands that would shape the desert rock scene among others. However, the band did appear at Johnny Depp's Viper Room night club on 22 and 23 September 1996 for a two-night stand. The end result would be How High The Moon: Live At The Viper Room, released on 10 June 1997 via Malicious Vinyl. Notably this live album also featured Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots) on the song "Jindalee Jindalie". Welcome To The Western Lodge and Deep In The Hole (1998 - 2002) Masters of Reality would establish a new lineup in 1998 to tour Europe surrounding an appearance at Dynamo Festival. This lineup of would consist of Goss, drummer John Leamy (Who would end up becoming the longtime drummer for the band), guitarist Brendon McNichol and bassist Paul Powell. Goss and Leamy would work together to record an album of new material and Welcome To The Western Lodge saw release on 21 June 1999./ Masters of Reality Official via Wayback Machine The same touring lineup would return to Europe that year, adding Mathias Schneeberger on keyboards. Throughout 2000 Goss would work with the likes of Queens of The Stone Age and Ian Astbury among others. The band's connection to Queens led to Goss and Leamy collaborating with Josh Homme, Nick Oliveri, Mark Lanegen, Troy Van Leeuwen, Brandon McNichol and others at Rancho de la Luna and an abandoned Joshua Tree cabin, that Goss christened as "Robby's 511 Studio".Masters of Reality Official via Wayback MachineMasters of Reality Official via Wayback Machine The end result, described as "pretty fucked" by Goss, would be Deep In The Hole released on 15 June 2001 to positive reviews. On 17 October it would be announced that Homme and Oliveri would be joining Masters of Reality for a tour of Europe with Mark Lanegan (Who also participated in sets with MoR).Masters of Reality Official via Wayback Machine This tour would include a headlining appearance at the seventh edition of Roadburn Festival. A collection of recordings from this tour would be made into a live album entitled Flak 'N' Flight, released on 18 February 2003. Give Us Barabbas (2003 - 2008) In 2003 Masters of Reality would notably cover "Devil's Radio" for the tribute album Songs From The Material World: A Tribute to George Harrison. Masters of Reality would perform once that year at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles that November (With Tomahawk, The Cramps and Queens of the Stone Age)./ Masters of Reality Official via Wayback Machine The next year on 15 June 2004 saw the release of the band's fifth album Give Us Barabbas. Despite being listed as a studio album, Give Us Barabbas is largely comprised of lost and unreleased tracks, with the majority of the songs culled from The Ballad of Jody Frosty. A tour of Europe was intended for the fall of 2004 but Goss would be hospitalized and forced to postpone,/ Masters of Reality Official via Wayback Machine even ending up in critical condition for a portion of his hospital stay though would eventually make a full recovery.NME The band would sporadically tour in the meantime, largely in Europe and with occasional festival appearances such as Azkena Rock Festival in Spain circa 2005. Goss would largely keep busy through this time recording and engineering for the likes of Melissa Auf Der Maur and Queens of The Stone Age along with participation in a side project known as Goon Moon.Masters of Reality Official via Wayback Machine Pine/Cross Dover and Recent Activities (2009 - Present) Goss would begin work on a sixth studio album (And the first album of new material in a decade) through late 2007 and early 2008 at Rancho De La Luna and The Hacienda with a wide range of collaborators. After a year's worth of delaysBillboard on 1 June 2009 it would be announced that this new album would be set for an August release via European label Brownhouse and Mascot Records, described by Goss as a "rock n' roll record".Blabbermouth This album would see release in the United States via Cool Green Records on 12 October 2010.Masters of Reality Official via Wayback Machine In a 2010 interview with The Aquarian, Goss would explain the recording process of the album and it's delays: Pine/Cross Dover, through both it's release cycles, saw praise from the likes of The Obelisk,The Obelisk Under The RadarUnder The Radar and Rock SoundRock Sound among others. In support of the record Masters of Reality would tour the West Coast in November 2010, followed by a tour of Europe that next January and February with the Cult and finishing with a show in New Orleans that June with Earthlings?.Masters of Reality Official via Wayback Machine Masters of Reality would tour Europe again two years later, with several festival appearances and dates supporting Queens of The Stone Age.Last.fm The band would tour Europe again two years later but would go dormant afterwards.Last.fm In 2019 and 2020 Masters of Reality would announce a tour of Europe for that May, including headlining appearances at Desertfest London, DesertFest Berlin, Kristonfest and Sonic Whip FestivalThe Obelisk along with a marquee appearance at Stoned and Dusted.The Obelisk Discography Studio Albums *'Masters of Reality' (1989, Def Jam) *'Sunrise on The Sufferbus' (1993, Chrysalis) *'Welcome To The Western Lodge' (1999, Brownhouse) *'Deep In The Hole' (2001, Brownhouse) *'Give Us Barabbas' (2004, Brownhouse) *'Pine/Cross Dover' (2009, Brownhouse) Other Releases *'How High The Moon: Live At The Viper Room' (Live Album) (1997, Malicious Vinyl) *'Flak 'N' Flight' (Live Album) (2001, Brownhouse) *'The Ballad of Jody Frosty' (Unreleased Studio Album) (2004; Recorded 1995) Current Members *'Chris Goss' - Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals (1981 - Present) *'John Leamy' - Drums, Vocals (1998 - Present) *'Paul Powell' - Bass (1998 - 2000, 2013 - Present) *'Josh Urist' - Guitar, Keyboards (2015 - Present) Past and Touring Musicians *'Tim Harrington' - Guitar (1981 - 1992) *'Googe' - Bass, Keyboards (1981 - 1997, 1999, 2004) *'Vinnie Ludovico' - Drums (1981 - 1990, 2004) *'Ginger Baker' - Drums (1990 - 1994?) (Died 2019) *'Victor Indrizzo' - Drums, Vocals (1997 - 1999) *'Brendon McNichol' - Guitar (1997 - 1999, 2009 - 2010) *'Chris Johnson' - Keyboards (1997) *'Josh Homme' - Guitar, Vocals (2001) *'Nick Oliveri' - Bass, Vocals (2001) *'Mark Lanegan' - Guitar, Keyboards (2001) *'Dave Catching' - Guitar (2005, 2009 - 2013) *'Liam O'Malley' - Bass (2005) *'Mathias Schneeberger' - Keyboards (2009 - 2013) *'Abby Travis' - Bass (2009 - 2012) *'Mark Christian' - Guitar (2009 - 2010) List of Known Tours More to be added; Work in progress. *'Masters of Reality Tour' (1989) *'Sunrise on The Sufferbus Tour' (1992) *'Great Spelunker Expedition' (1998)Last.fm *'Real War Tour '99' (With We) (1999)/ Masters of Reality Official via Wayback Machine/ Masters of Reality Official via Wayback Machine *'Deep in The Hole European Tour' (With Mark Lanegan) (2001)Last.fmMasters of Reality Official via Wayback Machine *2004 European Tour (Canceled) (2004) *'2008 European Tour' (2008)Last.fm *'Pine/Cross Dover European Tour' (2009)/ Masters of Reality Myspace via Wayback Machine *'An Evening with Masters of Reality' (2010)Masters of Reality Official via Wayback Machine *'New Blood Deep Cuts - Destroy The Night' (With The Cult) (2011)Masters of Reality Official via Wayback MachineMasters of Reality Official via Wayback Machine *'Summer 2013 European Tour' (Select dates with SAFI, Queens of the Stone Age) (2013)The Obelisk *'Spring 2015 European Tour' (2015) *'2020 European Tour' (2020)The Obelisk External Links Official Links *Masters of Reality German Fanpage *Masters of Reality Myspace Archival Links */ Archived Page circa 1999 */ Archived Page circa 2002 *2004 Interview via Get Ready To Rock *2006 Interview via Masters of Reality Germany *2008 Interview via Tape Op *2009 Interview via Ear Candy *2010 Interview via LA Weekly *2010 Interview via The Obelisk *2013 Interview via The Midland Rocks *2014 Interview via Songfacts References Category:Band Category:Chris Goss Category:Masters of Reality Category:Stoner Rock Category:Desert Rock Category:Hard Rock Category:Experimental Rock Category:Syracuse Category:New York Category:USA Category:Palm Desert Category:Ginger Baker Category:Dave Catching Category:Josh Homme Category:Nick Oliveri Category:Mark Lanegan Category:1981